Fire Facials Promise Eternal Youth, If You Survive Them

Growing old is scary. You know, that’s understandable. But, maybe you can bravely face the inevitable, or, I don’t know, use some moisturizer or something. Maybe don’t put open flames near your face zone?

The questionable procedure in question is called huo liao (火療), which translates to fire treatment. It’s taking off right now in Chinese beauty salons, and has some ties to traditional methods used in the past. In huo liao, some kind of special sauce is applied to the skin, and, kind of like the special sauce at McDonald’s, there’s no telling what’s actually in it. A towel is then soaked in alcohol, placed over the skin, and lit on fire. So, the face isn’t on fire, which is good. That’s good to know.

In the beauty department, the treatment is supposed to prevent dullness, sagging, and wrinkles by stimulating cell regeneration. It gets better – some even say it can cure the cold, or obesity. Which, I mean. Sure. Whatever you say.

One theory espoused is that the high temperatures around the skin kick the adrenal glands into high gear, which can help with indigestion and slow metabolisms. I don’t know. I don’t know enough to dispute all this, but, you know, maybe go do some hot yoga instead?

The treatment is supposedly safe when done by a trained specialist, which I genuinely don’t doubt. I also genuinely don’t doubt that knock-off clinics are going to start popping up offering this treatment on the cheap if it really starts taking off. Once that happens, I genuinely hope for the best for all involved.